South Korean man convicted for deliberately gaining weight to evade military service

SEOUL —  A South Korean man has been sentenced to a suspended prison term for deliberately gaining more than 44 pounds to evade a tougher role in the country’s military conscription system, a Seoul court said Tuesday.

In South Korea, all able-bodied men must serve in the military for 18-21 months, but individuals with health issues can instead carry out their duties at non-military facilities such as welfare centers and community service centers. If their problems are serious, they are exempted from their military duties.

The Seoul Eastern District Court said it sentenced the man to one year in prison, suspended for two years, for violating the country’s military service act.

The court said an acquaintance of the man received a suspended 1-year prison term for aiding his crime.

Local media reported they are friends, both aged 26, but the court said it couldn’t confirm the reports.

An exam in 2017 found the man suitable to become an active-duty soldier at 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighting 183 pounds. But with the advice of his acquaintance that he could get a social service grade if he was overweight, he doubled his daily food consumption, focused on eating high-calorie food products and quit his part-time job as a delivery worker, according to the court’s public affairs office.

In three physical exams from 2022-23, the man weighed 225-231 pounds, a weight that made him fit for social service. Just before those exams, he drank a large amount of water as well, according to the court.

It was unclear how the crime was caught and whether the man began serving his military duty before he was tried. The court only said the man had promised to fulfill his military duty faithfully.

The court said both the defendants and prosecutors didn’t appeal the Nov. 13 ruling.

South Korea maintains a military conscription system due to threats from rival North Korea. But exemptions or dodging of military duties is a highly sensitive domestic issue, because the draft forces young men to suspend their studies or professional careers.

Each year, about 50-60 cases of dodging military duties have been reported, according to the Military Manpower Administration. It said common ways to evade military duties include gaining or losing weight excessively or men with health issues not taking necessary medical treatments before physical tests.

Kim writes for the Associated Press.